BAMBERG COUNTY
Date Formed:  1897
Land Area (square miles): 393
County Seat: Bamberg
Other Cities and Towns:
Denmark, Ehrhardt, Govan, Olar
Form of Government: Council-Administrator
Council Members: 7
Method of Election Single Member
Term Length 4 years
Council of Government:  Lower Savannah
County History According to the South Carolina State Library Reference Room
Bamberg County and its county seat were named for local resident William Seaborn Bamberg (1820-1858) and other members of the Bamberg family. The area was a part of Barnwell County until 1897 when the new county was established. Although the area has been primarily agricultural, several towns developed along the route of the South Carolina Railroad in the mid-nineteenth century. In February 1865 Confederate soldiers fought an unsuccessful skirmish against General Sherman's troops at Rivers Bridge, now the site of a state park. The plantation of author William Gilmore Simms (1806-1870) was in what is now Bamberg County, and artist Jim Harrison is also a native of the county.
Population Trends Value Rank Value Rank
Population 1980: 18,118 40 Numeric Change 1980-2000: -1,460 45
Population 1990: 16,902 41 Avg. Ann. Growth Rate 1980-2000: -0.40% 45
Population 2000:  16,658 43 Percent Change 2005-2006: -1.3% 46
Population Estimate 2006: 15,657 43 Persons Per Square Mile 2006: 39.3 38
Population Estimate 2007: 15,452 43
Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Community Profile Demographic Data
Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Kids Count
Economic Data Value Rank Value Rank
Jobs 1980: 5,597 40 Personal Income 2006: $344,316 44
Jobs 1990: 4,992 41 Per Capita Pers. Income (PCPI) 2006: $21,991 38
Jobs 2000: 5,622 40 % of U.S. PCPI 2006: 60% 38
Avg. Annual Growth Rate 1980-2000:  0.02% 41 Average Wage Per Job 2006:  $24,723 45
Jobs 2005: 5,643 41 % of U.S. Avg. Wage Per Job 2006:  59% 45
Jobs 2006: 5,563 41 Avg. Unemployment 1998-2007:  7.5% 16
Numeric Change 2005-2006: -80 36 Unemployment Rate 2007 Ann. Avg: 9.3% 8
Tax Data Value Rank Value Rank
Assessed Property 2006: $29,481,810 45 Per Capita Assessed Property 2005: $1,770 45
County Base Millage Rate* 2007: 0.1333 11 Additional Sales Tax (if applicable)
Value of One Mil 2007: $27,856 45 Local Option Sales Tax: 1.0%
Net Taxable Sales FY 2006: $72,222,882 40 Capital Projects Sales Tax:  
Admissions Taxes Collected FY 2006: ***  * School District Sales Tax:  
Accomodations Taxes Collected FY 2006: $9,601 42 Transportation Sales Tax:  
* County Base Millage Rate reflects county mils only and does not include millages charged by other taxing entities (cities, schools, etc.)
Link to SC Employment Security Commission - Top Employers by County
Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Community Profile Demographic Data
Financial and Employment Data Value Rank Value Rank
Total Revenues FY 2006: $7,870,271 45 Per Capital Revenues: $472 34
Total Expenditures FY 2006: $5,900,857 45 Per Capita Expenditures: $354 42
General Fund Budget FY 2008: $6,899,383 45 Per Capita General Fund Budget: $414 24
Total Debt Outstanding FY 2007: *** ###### Per Capita Debt Outstanding: *** ######
Credit Ratings(s) FY 2007: Payroll FY 2008: $2,326,809 46
 Moodys:   Full-Time Employees FY 2008:  71 46
Standard & Poor:   Part-Time Employees FY 2008: 18 41
Fitch:   Full Time Emp/1,000 Cnty Residents:   4.26 46
Link to SC Office of Research and Statistics - Local Government Finance Report (Full document in Excel)
Sources:  County histories obtained from the South Carolina State Library Reference Room at http://www.state.sc.us/scsl/cnties.html. All other sources are listed in the appendix tables.
Updated 5/6/2008 16:45